Season Comes To An End For East Hampton Track Teams

The track and field season came to an end for both the East Hampton boys and girls teams as neither had anyone qualify for the states during the Section XI State Qualifier at Port Jefferson High School on Friday and Saturday.

The Bonackers still had one of their most successful seasons in recent years, finishing the dual meet season with their first two wins in three years, and boasting multiple division and county qualifiers.

“Coach Luis Morales and I couldn’t be more proud of our guys,” East Hampton head coach Christopher Reich said. “It was a very solid season and we look forward to continuing from here.”

Erik Engstrom finished the 3,000-meter steeplechase in 10:27.53, good enough for 12th place in the county. He surpassed his personal best record by a second, and Reich said he ran a smart and strong race—Engstrom moved up five places from his rank and seed time—despite the heat. Engstrom was the only freshman in the race of 22 runners.

“I have a lot of faith that he will be a future state qualifier—for sure,” Reich added.

Junior Adam Cebulski placed 19th in the county in the 1,600-meter race, crossing the tape in 4:49. He also placed 21st in the 3,200-meter race in 10:40. Senior Keaton Crozier, who was a little under the weather, placed 20th in the triple jump with a leap of 39 feet 5 inches.

Once he graduates this month, Crozier will enlist full-time in the Marines. He had been doing a lot of training with the Marines on weekends, as well as practicing with the track team during the week. Reich said he thinks all of the training finally caught up to Crozier.

As for the Lady Bonackers, only sophomore Amanda Calabrese made it to the State Qualifier in the 100-meter high hurdles. She placed 19th overall, crossing the finish line in 17.46 seconds.

East Hampton girls track head coach Yani Cuesta said Calabrese had a lot going on last week, including taking an SAT on Saturday.

“I’m really proud of her because, with all she had going on, she didn’t let nerves get to her,” Cuesta said. “The experience will be invaluable for her next year.”